Public Salaries
Compare · Jobs

Registered Nurse vs Registered Practical Nurse

In 2025, the median salary for Registered Nurse was $9,932 (9.1%) higher than for Registered Practical Nurse: $118,605 against $108,673. Registered Nurse had 27,436 people on the list, Registered Practical Nurse 1,120.

At a glance

Registered NurseRegistered Practical Nurse
People on the 2025 list27,4361,120
Median salary$118,605$108,673
Middle half$111,652–$127,379$103,711–$117,320
Highest salary$322,245$215,098
Total salaries$3,344,617,179$126,710,651
People, change+14.6% vs 2024+18.1% vs 2024
Median, change+2.2% vs 2024+0.7% vs 2024

Median salary by year

Show as a table
YearRegistered NurseRegistered Practical Nurse
2000$103,080
2001$104,465
2002$107,604
2003$109,015
2004$107,247
2005$106,842
2006$107,136
2007$108,007
2008$107,112
2009$106,537
2010$106,931$103,690
2011$106,911$104,965
2012$106,548
2013$106,461
2014$106,009$114,138
2015$105,625$107,140
2016$105,913$104,728
2017$105,713$110,165
2018$105,940$112,373
2019$105,518$112,794
2020$106,157$108,309
2021$107,156$108,912
2022$109,427$109,424
2023$117,483$109,145
2024$116,075$107,906
2025$118,605$108,673

People on the list by year

Show as a table
YearRegistered NurseRegistered Practical Nurse
200017
200118
200263
200377
200482
2005186
2006274
2007646
20081,274
20091,210
20101,34214
20111,7796
20122,027
20131,933
20142,67811
20153,29812
20163,60813
20174,18127
20185,57236
20196,09929
202013,878117
202110,994179
202217,364376
202322,038699
202423,936948
202527,4361,120

Highest paid in 2025

More comparisons

Questions and answers

Which pays more, Registered Nurse or Registered Practical Nurse?

By median salary in 2025, Registered Nurse: $118,605 against $108,673.

Which has more people on the list?

Registered Nurse: 27,436 against 1,120 in 2025.

How has the gap changed since 2010?

In 2010 the median for Registered Nurse was $106,931 and for Registered Practical Nurse $103,690, a gap of $3,241; in 2025 the gap was $9,932.

What do these figures cover?

Only people paid $100,000 or more are on the list, so medians and counts describe them, not everyone with each title.

What does “salary paid” include?

What the employer paid in the calendar year, so it can include overtime, retroactive pay, vacation payouts, severance or a partial year. Taxable benefits are listed separately. How the lists work